French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday announced he was creating a national military space force command that would eventually be part of his country's air force.
The declaration -- made on the eve of France's Bastille Day national celebrations that feature a military parade down Paris's Champs-Elysees -- mirrors an initiative in the US championed by President Donald Trump.

France's Macron announces creation of a space force command

PTI Automatic

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to be Britain's next prime minister, said Saturday that he supported the idea of an amnesty for illegal migrants.
However, he said any efforts to regularise the status of long-term irregular workers must be matched by a clampdown on new arrivals to avoid creating a "pull factor" Johnson first floated the idea of an amnesty when he was mayor of London. Now running for leader of the ruling Conservatives, he said he remained in favour.
He suggested there were around 500,000 people in London who had lived there for a decade or more but never registered and "are not able to pay taxes".
"I don't think it's commonsensical to think we can deport such a large number of people. We do need to think of how to regularise their status," he told a leadership campaign event in the east of England.
He said that despite the government's efforts to clamp down on irregular migration, deporting people was "very difficult legally" and the number of removals was "vanishingly ..

Britain's Johnson backs illegal migrants amnesty

Major storm Barry made landfall in Louisiana on Saturday as it weakened back to tropical storm force, but authorities warned that the heavy rain and strong winds lashing the US Gulf Coast were far from over.
Barry, which briefly was listed as a category one hurricane, made landfall in Intracoastal City, which is located about 165 miles (265 kilometers) west of New Orleans, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.
Maximum sustained winds were recorded at 70 miles per hour, the NHC said.

Barry makes landfall in Louisiana as it weakens

Valtteri Bottas upstaged his team-mate Lewis Hamilton on Saturday when he secured pole position as Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid for Sunday's British Grand Prix.
The Finn, who is 31 points adrift of defending world champion Hamilton in this year's title race, clocked a track record fastest lap in one minute and 25.093 seconds to outpace the local hero by just 0.006 seconds.
"It was really good and it reminds me of why we do this," said a smiling Bottas after securing his first British pole position and tenth of his career.
"It's been really close with Lewis all weekend and I am really happy to get such a good lap and pole."
Hamilton, who is hunting a record sixth victory in his home event, said: "Congratulations to Valtteri -- he did a really good job. It wasn't quite good enough...  But this is the best Grand Prix of the year because of the energy this crowd and all these people bring."
It was Mercedes' 64th front-row lockout of the grid for a Grand Prix.
Charles ...

Bottas takes pole as Mercedes lock out front row

Serena Williams delivered a stinging rebuke to fellow tennis legend Billie Jean King who said she should focus on tennis and stop behaving like a celebrity and fighting for equality.
King -- who was no stranger to fighting for equality for women players when she was starting out -- may feel justified after Williams was played off the court in the Wimbledon final on Saturday.
She was beaten 6-2, 6-2 in less than an hour by Simona Halep, who had lost on nine of the 10 previous occasions she had played the American.
King had said that running a business, looking after a child and battling for equality for women and ethnic minorities, could largely all be dealt with by her staff while she focussed on tennis for a couple of years.
The 75-year-old told the BBC earlier in the tournament that Williams should give up being a celebrity for a year: "Just stop all this insanity."
Williams, though, hit back on Saturday.
"The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me 

Equality is my cause: Serena puts legend King in her place

British police drew criticism on Saturday for a warning to journalists during a probe into a leak that led to the resignation of the ambassador to Washington.
Neil Basu, assistant commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, had advised media outlets "not to publish leaked government documents", saying to do so "may be a criminal matter".
The warning came as police announced they were investigating the leak of diplomatic reports from Britain's ambassador to Washington Kim Darroch, which prompted outrage from President Donald Trump and forced the envoy to quit.
Boris Johnson, the favourite to take over as Britain's new prime minister this month, said prosecuting media outlets would have "a chilling effect on public debate".
Johnson, himself a journalist and former editor, said the Darroch leaks were "embarrassing but it is not a threat to national security".
"It is the duty of media organisations to bring new and interesting facts into the public domain," he said while campaigning for 

British police under fire for media leaks warning

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told his Iranian counterpart Saturday that a tanker held by Gibraltar would be released if Tehran guaranteed it was not violating EU sanctions by heading to Syria.
After what he called a "constructive call" with Mohammad Javad Zarif, he said Britain would "facilitate release if we received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria, following due process in Gib (Gibraltar) courts" he tweeted.

Britain says Iran tanker will be freed after guarantees on destination

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has left the Spanish giants' pre-season training camp in Montreal after the death of his brother, the club have said.
Zidane returned home on Friday, with Real on Saturday revealing his brother Farid had died.
"All members of the Real Madrid first-team squad held a minute's silence ahead of training in Montreal following the passing of Farid Zidane, the brother of our coach,
Zinedine Zidane," Real said in a statement.
The team's training sessions are being taken by assistant coach David Bettoni.  Zidane returned for a second spell as Real coach in March, having resigned after winning a third straight Champions League title in 2018.

Zidane leaves Real training camp after brother's death

Four Afghan security forces were killed Saturday when Taliban insurgents attacked a hotel, officials said, as violence continues across Afghanistan despite US-led efforts to end the war.
The assault took place in Qala-i-Naw, the capital of the western province of Badghis, when attackers struck a commercial area housing the hotel and several shops in the small city.
"We had intelligence reports that suicide bombers were planning to attack Qala-i-Naw," Badghis governor Abdul Ghafoor Malikzai told AFP.
"The attackers took over a building near the governor's office and police headquarters".
The defence ministry said three attackers were killed and two more arrested.  Four members of the Afghan security forces were killed and 20 people wounded, including civilians, the ministry said.
The incident comes less than a week after Taliban officials were sitting face-to-face with US negotiators in Doha in a bid to end Afghanistan's nearly 18-year-old war.
Both sides reported good progress in the .

Four Afghan forces killed as Taliban attack hotel compound

The World Cup was hailed as a huge opportunity for the growth of cricket in its birthplace but the jury is still out on whether the tournament will inspire a new generation of fans.
The flag-waving hysteria that accompanied England's march to last year's football World Cup semi-finals in Russia has been largely absent and many England players could walk down the street without being recognised.
The game's chiefs are all too aware that cricket, little played in British state schools, is slipping off the radar for young people and participation rates are falling sharply, hurt by its absence from free-to-air TV.
According to the England and Wales Cricket Board's own research, just five percent of British children aged six to 15 list cricket in their top two favourite sports -- a figure that should strike fear into anybody with the long-term interests of the game at heart.
Earlier this year, The Times reported that dozens of smaller clubs face closure and quoted figures saying the number .

Will England's World Cup run inspire a new generation of cricket fans?

Russia launched a space telescope Saturday from the cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, a joint project with Germany intended to replace one it lost in January.
Video posted on the website of the Roskosmos, the Russian space agency, showed a Proton-M rocket carrying the Spektr-RG taking off from the launch pad at Baikonur.
The launch was originally scheduled for June 21 but was postponed twice because of a battery problem.
The Spektr-RG, developed with Germany, is a space observatory intended to replace the Spektr-R, known as the "Russian Hubble", which Roskosmos said it lost control of in January.
Spektr-R was launched in 2011 to observe black holes, neutron stars and magnetic fields. Its successor will take up similar duties but will also work on completing the map of the world, said Roskosmos.
Russia's space programme, long a source of great pride to the nation, has suffered a series of humiliating setbacks in recent years, although the country remains committed to ambitious ...

Russia launches space telescope

At least three Afghan security forces were killed Saturday when Taliban insurgents attacked a hotel, officials said, as violence continues across Afghanistan despite US-led efforts to end the war.
The assault took place in Qala-i-Naw, the capital of the western province of Badghis, when attackers struck a commercial area housing the hotel and several shops in the small city.
"We had intelligence reports that suicide bombers were planning to attack Qala-i-Naw," Badghis governor Abdul Ghafoor Malikzai told AFP.
"We were ready. The attackers took over a building near the governor's office and police headquarters".
He said two of the attackers had been killed, while one was still resisting. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
The incident comes less than a week after Taliban officials were sitting face-to-face with US negotiators in Doha in a bid to end Afghanistan's nearly 18-year-old war.
Both sides reported good progress in the talks, but daily carnage continues across ..

Taliban attack hotel, at least three Afghan forces killed

Fourteen civilians, including six children and infants, were killed Saturday in air strikes in northwest Syria, targeted for months now by deadly regime and Russian bombardment, a monitor said.
Most of the children were among civilians killed when Russian aircraft raided an informal camp of internally displaced Syrians after midnight Friday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The camp near the town of Khan Sheikhoun, in Idlib region, houses Syrians who had fled raids and clashes in neighbouring Hama province.
Hours later a man and his heavily pregnant wife were killed in the eastern Idlib town of Kefraya in air strikes carried out by unidentified aircraft, the Britain-based Observatory said.
White Helmets volunteers found the bodies of the dead woman, and her well-formed baby lying next to her open stomach the umbilical cord still attached, an AFP correspondent said.
In the north of Hama province, three civilians including a child were killed by artillery fire, the ...

Children among 14 civilians killed in Syria strikes

Fernando Alonso would be free to race for a rival team in Formula One and remain an ambassador for McLaren, according to team boss Zak Brown.
The two-time world champion Spaniard has been linked with a return to F1 in recent weeks with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealing that he had been informed by Alonso's agents that the Spaniard was "available" for 2020.
Brown confirmed that Alonso could race for another F1 team.
Alonso raced in Formula One from 2001 to 2017 and spent his last four  seasons with McLaren. He has also raced in IndyCar for a McLaren affiliated team.
"Fernando remains an ambassador for us," he said.
"We have a great relationship and we are talking to him about racing programmes with us that are not related to F1.
"But we are happy if he wants to return to F1 and, if we don't have a seat available, to race for another team. We'd support him to do that if he wants to do it.

Alonso free to race for other F1 teams, says McLaren boss Brown

Wantaway star Paul Pogba overcame a turbulent week and helped a lacklustre Manchester United post a 2-0 friendly victory over Perth Glory on Saturday.
An under-pressure United struggled in their pre-season opener against a weakened Perth Glory, who won Australia's A-League Premiers Plate last season.
After a scoreless opening half, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer changed his entire lineup and inserted several stars, including Pogba whose uncertain future at Old Trafford has overshadowed United's pre-season tour of Australia.
United finally cracked Perth's tenacious defence in the 60th minute when Pogba showcased his sublime touch with a deft back heel to forward Marcus Rashford, who struck it past goalkeeper Liam Reddy.
After being linked with a move to Real Madrid and Juventus, Pogba played the entire second half and helped United find more fluency. James Garner, 18, sealed the result with a long-range strike in the dying stages.
Suffering from a lack of numbers for the friendly, Perth .

Sublime Pogba helps Man Utd to 2-0 victory over Perth Glory

Teenager Marni Johnson will flip the coin at the toss for the Wimbledon women's final on Saturday as high as she can but not as high as it has already been -- to space and back.
Both the coins for the women's and the men's finals -- gold with tennis racquets on one side and '56' on the other to signify the number of expedition which went to the International Space Station (ISS) -- spent 197 days in 2018 in space, giving Wimbledon another piece of sporting history.
Commander Drew Feustel, who has been on three missions, said the idea emanated from a conversation he and his wife Indira had with Philip Brook, chairman of the All England Club, a few years ago.
His father-in-law had suggested back in 2009 that he take tennis racquets -- "we are a tennis playing family after all" -- but cargo having to be light the idea was dropped.
"What could we take to space which could tie together space and science and the excitement of tennis and the pinnacle of the sport?" said the American astronaut 

Space odyssey for Wimbledon final coins

Atletico Madrid will challenge the amount Barcelona paid to acquite Antoine Griezmann's transfer, Spanish media reported on Saturday.
Sports daily AS said Atletico will go to FIFA, the governing body of world football, to argue that Barcelona owe more than the 120 million euros ($135 million) release clause deposited by a lawyer for the player on Friday.
AS wrote that Atletico wants to have both Barcelona and Griezmann punished.  Contacted by AFP on Saturday, the club refused to comment.
Atletico complained that Barcelona and Griezmann negotiated the deal before the buy-out price dropped from 200 million euros at the start of July.
"Atletico Madrid believes that the termination of the contract took place before the end of last season," the club said in a statement on Friday, adding that Griezmann had made that clear in his actions and words.
Atletico said in a statement that Griezmann had gone to the headquarters of Spanish Football League to "unilaterally" break his contract after ...

Atletico will take Griezmann grievance to FIFA: press

Fans heading to the World Cup final at Lord's will be greeted by announcements at the London Underground station from BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew.
The broadcasts will be relayed to supporters at St John's Wood as they head to the match on Sunday between host nation England and New Zealand, five minutes' walk from the station.
Agnew, known as "Aggers" by fans, said: "It was great fun spending time in the control room and meeting the wonderful staff who help us travel on the Underground system day in, day out.
"I accidentally played one of my announcements out over the Tannoy, which was a bit embarrassing -- but I think I got away with it!"
The announcements include basic tips for travellers making their way to the game, including advice to those with headwear: "For some reason St John's Wood is a very windy station so hold on to your hats."
In another message, passengers are told: "To avoid being run out, please hold the handrail on the escalator."
Favourites England and ..

BBC's voice of cricket becomes Tube announcer for World Cup final

Attackers entered a hotel in western Afghanistan on Saturday and killed at least three security forces in an ongoing incident, an official told AFP.
The attack was underway in Qala-e-Naw, the capital of Badghis province, having started around 12:40 pm (08:10 GMT) when a group of men, some wearing suicide vests, entered the hotel.
"The attackers have entered a hotel, they are exchanging fire with the security forces," Aziz Bek, the head of the Badghis provincial council, told AFP.
"So far, three security forces have been killed, two wounded." He added that children had been evacuated from nearby schools, and that explosions could be heard in the city.
Nasrat Rahimi, an interior ministry spokesman, said a group of suicide bombers had entered a hotel and were shooting civilians.
Police had surrounded the building, he added.
Haroon Amir, a witness, said the attackers first hit a police checkpoint and then entered the hotel.
"The hotel is near the police headquarters and they are ...

At least three killed in Afghan hotel attack: Official

Celebrated All Blacks mentor Steve Hansen believes New Zealand's loss to England in the group stages of the Cricket World Cup will be to their advantage in Sunday's final.
The coaching maestro, who is bidding for a third rugby World Cup success with the All Blacks this year, said when teams play each other twice in a tournament it is a psychological disadvantage to win the first match.
"The advantage is held by the team that loses because I think mentally it's very hard not to subconsciously think, 'well, we've beaten these guys before', so you soften yourself a little bit, subconsciously, it's not a deliberate thing," he told Radio Sport on Saturday.
England beat New Zealand by 119 runs to make the semi-finals and then downed Australia by eight wickets to make the final.
New Zealand, who only scraped into the semis on a superior run rate than Pakistan, then beat tournament favourites India by 18 runs to reach the final "England played Australia (in the group stages) and Australia ...

Omens point to New Zealand winning World Cup: Hansen

Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer believes the "stars have aligned" as he attempts to become the oldest Grand Slam winner of modern times in Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic.
The 37-year-old Swiss can clinch a record-extending 21st major if he manages to break free of the world number one's stranglehold.
Four-time Wimbledon winner and defending champion Djokovic enjoys a 25-22 edge in career meetings, stretching back 13 years.
The Serb has won 14 of their last 20 meetings and eight of the last 10.  Federer has lost all four of their most recent meetings at the Slams and it's now seven years since he triumphed over the 32-year-old at the majors.
That was 2012 in four sets in a Wimbledon semi-final.
However, Federer, who will be 38 next month, insists such statistics are meaningless as he attempts to succeed Ken Rosewall, at the 1972 Australian Open, as the oldest Slam champion of the Open era.
"It's been a rock solid year for me. I won in Halle (on grass on the eve of ...

AFP

AFP

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